iPod Shuffle Challenge
by Azharia
Summary: Short drabbles of different Naruto pairings. Idea stolen from Gentleman Jack. Rules inside.


**iPod Shuffle Challenge**

_Well, I thought it was finally time for me to write an actual FanFiction, instead of one of my original (sort of) pieces. So, I thought, 'I read enough of them, so I should write a Naruto fic!' Woo! *excitement* I read "iPod Shuffle Challenge" by Gentleman Jack and wanted to try this, too. So, here it goes. Sorry about any mistakes, and apologies if it's not very good. =]_

_Also, quickly, for those of you who have read my unfinished Wolf's Rain story titled "Extinction", I just want you guys to know that I'm not neglecting it (sort of…). Due to a combination of writer's block and lack of motivation (A.K.A.: laziness), I have failed, in all of this time, to write much more of it; and, on top of that, school will be starting up again in a little over a week (*cries*), so I probably won't be able to write almost anything until school is out again, or at least until Christmas break. However, I do have other scenes from later on in the story, a little bit of the next chapter, and an outline of what's going to happen next written out. Anybody who wants these things can email me (or message me with his/her email address) and I will send him/her the stuff that I have so far, and even give him/her updates when I have more stuff. Let me know. In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoy this!_

Rules:

_1. Choose a character, pairing, or fandom you like.  
2. Turn on your music player and set it to random/shuffle.  
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards! (Unless you're just editing, like spell check and grammar.)  
4. Write ten of these, then post them._

**1.** Stars by Switchfoot

SasuSaku

'_Maybe it was my fault that he left'_ she thought, walking down the deserted street.

It was nighttime, and everyone was in bed; she should have been in bed, too, considering she had an important mission the next day, but she just couldn't sleep. Like she did every night, she was thinking about _him_.

Eventually, she found herself where she had last seen _him _before he had left Konoha. That dirty, little bench held many memories for her.

She sat down on it and stayed there, brooding for a while. Then, she looked up. The stars were shining especially brightly that night. In that moment, with all the beauty above her giving her strength, she thought to herself firmly, _'We will bring him home'_; she stood up from the bench and made her way back to her house to prepare for her mission in the morning.

**2.** Clair de Lune

NaruHina

She recognized the song coming from the speakers in the ceiling of the café. She closed her eyes and sipped her tea, humming along with the familiar melody. Classical music had always helped her calm down, ever since she was little, and this song was one of her particular favorites.

Suddenly, a loud voice broke through her reverie.

"You have a really pretty voice, Hinata! I never knew you could sing."

She opened her eyes in surprise to see Naruto inches away from her face. Immediately, she felt her face heat up and she pushed her chair back so abruptly, she fell backwards onto the floor.

"Sorry!" Naruto apologized, offering her his hand to help her up. "I didn't mean to scare you! I just saw you sitting in here alone and thought I'd come to keep you company. I'm off from training for the day and…" he scratched the back of his head, "Well, the teme's out with Sakura and I've got nothing to do."

She took a deep breath in an attempt not to pass out and took his outstretched hand. Now this really was her favorite song. Naruto wanted to spend time with her! She smiled blissfully, blush still in place on her cheeks.

**3.** My Life Would Suck Without You by Kelly Clarkson

SasuSaku

_(I totally cheated on this one; I took way longer than just once through the song. I just couldn't help myself! This is just the ultimate SasuSaku song! I know I didn't do it justice, but it was all that I could come up with in a marginally short amount of time. Maybe I'll write a better, longer one later.)_

She couldn't believe it. His was just standing there at her front door, waiting for her to say something.

When the knock on the door came, she had been sleeping comfortably in her bed after a long day at the hospital. The knock had penetrated sharply through whatever dream she had been having, and she had stomped off to answer the door, half asleep and pissed off like Hell.

"Naruto, I swore if you knocked on my door again, drunk, in the middle of the night, like you've done the past two nights, I would beat the crap out of you! And you have the nerve to come here and –" She broke off abruptly when she threw open the door and saw who was standing on her doorstep.

There was a full ten seconds of absolute silence before she finally formed coherent syllables.

"Sa…Sasuke?" she stuttered, breathless with shock.

"Hn," he said, not looking at her.

She didn't know how to respond. What was she supposed to say? After all these years, she never expected him to just show up like this, seemingly as unruffled and as unemotional as ever.

"What are you doing here?" she eventually asked.

He stayed silent for so long, she thought he wasn't going to answer when he said in a quiet voice, "I didn't kill my brother."

"What?" she said, confused.

"I didn't do it. I've waited all my life to kill him and, for some reason, I can't make it feel important anymore."

She stared at him, still shocked. He continued to look the other way.

"I wondered why, and your face popped into my head," he continued. Even though it was dark, she could swear she saw a light flush on his cheeks in the glow from the streetlamps.

"I guess…what I'm trying to say is…I…like you…more than I should."

Yes, she could definitely see a blush on his cheeks. It was startling. The great Uchiha was embarrassed and talking about his feelings all in one go; and those feelings had to do with her.

After these thoughts had finished going through her head, finally his words registered. She felt tears well up in her eyes and spill over; her breathing sped up until she was almost hyperventilating. She knew that breaking down like this was making her look weak, but she couldn't help it. She covered her face with her hands and began to shake with the intensity of her sobs. Then, she felt strong arms wrap their way around her and hold her close to a warm, comforting (and muscular |D) chest. He was back; and what's more, he was back for her.

**4.** Home by Michael Buble

SasuSaku

He stood at the crest of a hill, covered in both his own blood and the blood of his brother, staring down at the village below him. He didn't know why he was returning; even though his brother was dead and he had accomplished his goal, he knew there was nothing for him there—nothing, except for a certain pink-haired girl. He didn't know why, but the instant he had confirmed that his brother was no longer living, he had thought of her. From that moment on, her face was the only thing he could see in his mind, and his feet had led him here.

His thoughts still weren't working properly. His vision was fuzzy, he felt lightheaded—probably from all the blood he had lost—and he had broken bones that were not getting any better while he was still using them. But she was like a magnet; it was as though he was being draw to her without his permission.

He stumbled down the hill and to the edge of the village. The guards, startled by his appearance, didn't stop him. But when they saw how injured he was, they sent a messenger to the Hokage. Sasuke ignored them and continued to stagger through the town until he arrived at her doorstep. He knocked on the door and it opened after a few seconds.

"I'm home," he said before he collapsed.

**5.** Oh, It Is Love by HelloGoodbye

SasuSaku

Sunlight streamed into the bedroom through the open windows and Sakura heard the sounds of the village coming into wakefulness as she lay staring into the face of the sleeping Sasuke. Gently, she combed her fingers through his messy hair. She couldn't help but remember at this moment how much her feelings for him had changed as she had matured. It had started as a combination of infatuation with his good looks and his mysterious demeanor and competition with Ino, but, as she had gotten to know him, the real him, it had grown into something more. Now…

Sasuke stirred. Her fingers stopped playing with his hair as he rolled over from his back onto his stomach, throwing an arm over her in the process. She smiled.

"Ohayou, Sasuke-kun," she said cheerily.

Slowly, he opened an eye, then another. After a moment, he raised himself up from the bed and reached up to softly press his lips to hers. She closed her eyes, feeling the usual fluttering in her heart that she felt whenever he touched her.

When he finally pulled away, he looked at her for a minute before saying, "Your morning breath is gross," then leaned in to kiss her again.

Yeah, it was love.

**6.** Calling You by Blue October

NejiTen

_(I love this one! This turned out so much better than I expected. I just got a surge of inspiration and actually wrote this one within the limits of the song! *grins proudly*)_

The cell phone in her pocket rang: again. She sighed heavily and debated whether or not to pick it up, but then realized that he would just keep calling if she didn't. Flicking the dratted thing open, she put it up to her ear.

"Do you know where I am right now?" she asked, annoyed.

"No," came his calm voice from the other side of the line. "Where?"

"I'm in a DRESSING ROOM!" she said through gritted teeth. She was trying very hard not to raise her voice so that she would not disturb the occupants of the other stalls.

"Oh," he said.

"Oh? Is that all you have to say? You've called me…" she mentally added up the numbers, "13 times today! You do understand that we'll see each other tomorrow, right?"

"I know."

"Well…then…WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME!" she burst out in exasperation. She heard the woman in the stall next to her whisper something to her daughter.

He was silent for a moment.

"You know I love you, right?" he said quietly.

She sighed, but couldn't help but soften.

"Yeah. I love you too. I'll see you when you get home from your mission. The baby will be the same as when you left: still making me look like a fatty." She snorted playfully.

"You don't look fat. You look pregnant. There's a difference," he said.

"Yeah, well, I still feel fat. Look, seriously, the only thing that could possibly happen to me while you're gone is that I get so heavy, I fall into the toilet; it's where I spend most of my time, anyway," she said wryly.

"I know. I love you," he said.

"You said that already," she said jokingly. Then she smiled. "And you know I love you, too," she added.

"See you tomorrow."

"Bye. And no more calls," she inserted hastily.

"We'll see," he said before the line went dead.

**7.** Deck the Halls by Relient K

InoShika

_(This one's going to be so short because the song is only a minute and 21 seconds…Well, here goes the fastest thinking/typing of my life…)_

He surveyed the tree with distaste.

"Do I really have to?" he asked.

"Yes!" she replied enthusiastically. "Christmas is the best holiday of the year, and I intend to celebrate fully!"

Really what was the point of all the silly decorating? He just didn't understand. However, he looked at her excited face and knew he couldn't refuse.

So, with his typical grumble of "troublesome," he grabbed an ornament and began helping her adorn the tree with the ridiculous, shiny things.

**8.** You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban

NaruHina

_(This one's just okay. I'm not great at writing Hinata, so I'm sorry if her "speech", or whatever, sounds a bit off. It was all I could think of…-_-' )_

She watched him from her place behind the tree on the edge of the training grounds. Just moments ago she had been walking back through the gates after a long, difficult mission. She heard he had just gotten back from a failed Sasuke recovery mission, one during which he had actually spoken face to face with his former best friend.

Before she had a chance to lose her courage, she stepped out from behind the tree and walked onto the training grounds. Naruto paused what he was doing. She noticed that his eyes were red rimmed as though he had been crying.

She stopped when she was standing right in front of him and steeled herself for what she was about to do.

"I…I just wanted t-to say…to let you know…th-that you make me stronger. B-by watching you, seeing your strength, your w-will to keep going through anything…you make me feel as though I-I could do anything as well. And I want to improve m-myself…to make myself…better…worthy…so that one day I can t-tell you something that I've always w-wanted to tell you." She took a steadying breath before adding, "Also, I believe with all my h-heart that you are the only one who c-can bring Sasuke back. I know you can do it, so pl-please don't be discouraged."

He stared at her, eyes wide and startled. Eventually, his face melted into a smile.

**9.** Holding Out for a Hero by Frou Frou

NejiTen

_(This song's actually not that short; the story just ended up turning out this way, but I like it anyways.)_

She always had a specific image in her head of her perfect someone: handsome, daring, loyal, and, most importantly, kind—all the usual "knight in shining armor" qualities. So, once she met him, she couldn't seem to figure out why she loved him so much. He was dark, brooding, bitter—because of his past—and, worst of all, proud. Yet, love him she did, for, when his shell finally broke during the Chunin Exams, she was able to see through all of that. He may not have been a knight, but who needs a knight anyway?

**10.** Thinking of You by Katy Perry

SasuSaku

_(I'm sorry! I don't want to offend GaaSaku lovers, and, believe me, I'm one myself—only when it comes to fanfic world, otherwise I believe firmly in a SasuSaku pairing for the series. But, this song came up, and this was all I could come up with quickly.)_

He lay sprawled on his stomach, spread out across the bed, still asleep, the sheets tangled around his legs, his arms curved under the pillows, his shockingly red hair splayed out over his face. She loved him; she truly did. It just wasn't enough. Whenever she looked at him, she saw another face—one with dark eyes that was surrounded by that typical blue, chicken-style hair. She couldn't forget _him_, and now she had had enough.

She quietly—so as not to disturb the sleeping Gaara—picked up her backpack from the floor and walked up to the side of the bed so that she could place her note on her pillow next to his. She stepped back and made her way to the doorway of their bedroom. She turned and looked once more at the prone figure on the bed, then continued down the hallway and out the front door. She locked it behind her and left the key under the mat like she always did, sure that he would find it there eventually.

She would go looking for _him_: the one who kept invading her thoughts. And, when she found him, she would not force him to come back. Instead, she would do everything in her power to prove to him that she was good enough to take along. She was stronger now, and she would make sure he knew that; and then she would be with him.

She set out onto the deserted street and made her way to the gates of Konoha, then into the darkness of the forest beyond.


End file.
